Is the World in Need of 

A New Revelation? 



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Class. 'SiR}2=^ 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 



Is the World in Need of 

A New Revelation? 

A 

DISCOURSE. 

BY 

ANDREW W. MADISON, A. M., 

II 

Author of "The Lost Book." 



Jesus said : " / have yet many things to say unto yoUy but 
ye cannot bear them now.'' — John xvi : 12. 



Note. — This discourse contains a truthful statement of facts 
concerning the remarkable origin of the book entitled, " The True 
Theory of Christianity; or, The Lost Book," published by the 
author in i8qo — the second edition of which is now on sale. 



Published by tTie Author. 
NEW YORK. 

1904. 



LISRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 
JUL 11 1904 

, CoDvrfght -Entry- 

CLA^S CK. XXc. No. 
^ COPY B I " 






Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1903, by 

ANDREW W. MADISON, 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at AYashington, D. C. 



All Rights Reserved. 



Is the World in Need of 

A New Revelation ? 



Deak Feieistds : In this discourse I shall 
endeavor to answer the guestioia* which so many 
are asking at the present day. 

Jesns said to his disciples of old : — 

" I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye 
cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit 
of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth : 
for he shall not speak from himself ; but what things 
soever he shall hear, these shall he speak : and he 
shall declare unto you the things that are to come. 
He shall glorify me : for he shall take of mine, and 
shall declare it unto you." 

Does the world need a new revelation from 
God, or was the last word from onr Father in 
heaven spoken two thousand years ago. Did 
our Saviour mean what he said when he uttered 
the words which I have just read in your 
hearing, and which are attributed to him ? If 
we have the faith in him that we should have, 
and that some of us profess to have, most 
certainly we must believe that he meant what 
he said. 

If we ever have had a revelation from God, 
most certainly He has the power and also the 
willingness to reveal Himself again. 

If there ever was a time in the history of the 
world when a revelation was needed, it is now, 
at the beginning of the twentieth century. If 
there ever was a time when it seemed as though 



4 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

the prince of the powers of darkness had broken 
loose for a season, it is now. Any one who 
reads the papers and tries from day to day to 
read simply the headlines of articles concerning 
thefts, robberies, murders, divorces, extortions, 
drunkenness, rascality, atrocities and scandals 
of every kind, both in public and private life, 
must be impressed with the fact, as never 
before, that ''faith and works" have had a 
falling out, and have been divorced. The 
saying of James, the reputed brother of Jesus, 
that ** faith without works is dead" was never 
more true than to-day. ISTor is the iniquity of 
the present day confined to any one class, but 
infests alike the rich and the poor. The 
employers and the employees are for the most 
part at loggerheads, and but few of either of 
these classes seem to feel much responsibility 
for the general welfare. Everywhere force 
meets force, and by far too often the weak and 
the helpless are the victims, and are forced to 
the wall. As regards religion, every community 
is about equally divided between those who 
believe everything in the Bible and are sorry 
that there is not something in it harder to 
believe ; and those who believe nothing, either 
in the Bible or out of it, except what they can 
see, hear, smell, taste or feel. Thus we stand 
in the so-called ''Christian world" at the 
beginning of the twentieth century. 

For this condition of things, the churches 
are more or less responsible, as I shall endeavor 
to show a little further on in this discourse. 

The world is much better to-day than it was 
nineteen hundred years ago, but still it is 
not Christian in the true sense, the sense of 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 5 

being Christlike. Nineteen Imndred years 
ago, Christ, the great teacher and sublimest 
character in history, was murdered by a mob 
of hot-headed, half-crazy religious fanatics. 
To-day he is worshipped by many as a God ; 
but, should he return again and preach and 
teach precisely as he did preach and teach, 
about how many of his professed followers 
to-day would receive him kindly and accept 
his teachings ? Is there no difference between 
his teachings and the teachings of the ' ' creeds ' ' 
which represent the religion in vogue to-day ? 
Read ''The Lost Book" and see. 

In every age of the world it has been asserted 
by some, and silently believed by others, that 
"the common people cannot be trusted with 
the truth," especially concerning matters of 
religion. This absurd theory has caused, and 
is causing, untold trouble. It has been the 
means of making more infidels, skeptics and 
agnostics than all the Thomas Paines, Voltaires, 
and Ingersolls put together. It is confidently 
asserted every Sunday from many pulpits that 
the Bible is all inspired from the beginning to 
the end, and that we must believe it all; for, 
say the preachers, ''It is either all inspired or 
none of it is inspired." They have proclaimed 
this idea so much that people are now beginning 
to take them at their word. When the people 
read the Bible carefully, in the light of the 
"higher criticism," they find so much in it is 
contrary to the known laws of nature, contrary 
to reason, and not only contradictory, but 
contrary to the general experience of mankind 
that they conclude that the preachers are right 
in saying that "the Bible is either all inspired 



6 Is TKE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

or none of it is inspired ; and, as an alterna- 
tive, tliey choose to believe that none of it 
is inspired. This conclusion is greatly to be 
deplored. 

In view of the fact that the Bible itself, when 
properly translated, see Revised Version, does 
not say that it is all inspired ; and in view of 
the fact that as late as the 16th century not a 
man could be found in the whole world who 
would claim that he believed it to be all inspired, 
I think that ministers and others at the present 
day make a great mistake in saying that it is 
all inspired. Some claim that inspiration is a 
growth. I claim that it is not a growth. If a 
book is not inspired when it is written, it is 
never inspired no matter how old it may be. 
I claim also that it is wrong to try to keep the 
common people in ignorance concerning the 
''Canon of the Bible." 

Undoubtedly some parts of the Bible are 
inspired and some parts of it are not inspired. 
The facts in the case are simply these : — It has 
been shown by some of the most prominent and 
highly educated Biblical scholars of the 19th 
century that the New Testament, as we now 
have it, was written to fit the ''creeds" instead 
of the "creeds" to fit the New Testament. It 
has been shown that our Bible is a bundle of 
books compiled from a wider literature and 
that many of the books are anonymous ; no 
one knows who wrote them or when they were 
written. Therefore we have no right to say 
that the Bible, as we now have it is cdl inspired. 
Neither has any man the right to say that none 
of the Bible is inspired. 

Any one who says that the Bible is not 



is THE World IN Need of a New Revelation? 7 

inspired, at least in some parts of it, is either 
mentally defective and lacking in good judg- 
ment, or lie is trying to deceive himself. This 
is strong language ; but, I repeat : Any one 
who says that the Bible is not inspired, at least 
in some parts of it, is either mentally defective 
and lacking in good judgment, or he is trying 
to deceive himself. 

Personally, I am not so much interested in 
the parts of the Bible that are not inspired as I 
am in the parts of the Bible that are inspired. 
Those who are desirous of knowing which are 
the Bible truths that I have testified under 
oath that I have the most and best of reasons 
to believe are inspired, should not fail to read 
''The Lost Book," — a new and authentic 
Commentary on the teachings of Christ, 
published in 1890. Those who prefer to 
investigate for themselves should read the 
writings of the ''Christian Fathers," the 
ecclesiastical history of Eusebius — the oldest 
Christian history now extant — and the modern 
works, "On the Canon of the New Testament," 
by Brooke Foss Westcott, D. D., "A Short 
History of the Bible," by Bronson C. Keeler, 
and "The Canon of the Bible," by Prof. 
Samuel Davidson, D. D., LL. D. 

At this point, I desire to quote a few sentences 
from "A Short History of the Bible," by 
Bronson C. Keeler. I do this for the purpose 
of showing that the evidence does not warrant 
any man in saying that the Bible is either all 
inspired or none of it is insph^ed. This, I 
regard as an unwarranted and foolish claim ; 
and in view of the harn^ it has done, should 
never have been made. 



8 is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

At the end of liis book, in what the writer 
terms ''A Resume," he says : — 

•* We find that the greater number of the books 
of the Bible are anonymous. No one knows who 
wrote them, and no one knows when they were 
written. They are, in the cases of the most im- 
portant books, of those most relied on for doctrinal 
support, compilations from pre-existing records. 
But who wrote these records, and who made the 
compilations, are entirely unknown. When the 
books of the Old Testament came into use they were 
not considered inspired. That idea was an after- 
thought. And the Christian Church places a higher 
value on some of the books than the original 
possessors or than Jesus himself did. In the same 
manner, when the books of the New Testament 
came into use they were not considered inspired or 
the word of God. Many Gospels, Epistles and 
Revelations, not now in use, were read in the 
churches in the early centuries. About the close of 
the second century or the beginning of the third, 
when the Catholic Church was forming, a source of 
authority for appeal in the case of dispute over new 
doctrines were necessary, and the Fathers instituted 
the theory that certain books were inspired. But 
the books which they said were divine were not 
always the same books which we have now. They 
declared many books to be inspired which we do not 
think to be ; and they ignored and rejected many 
books which have since been invested with divine 
honors. The contentions of the sects made it im- 
possible for the new church to unite on the Gospels 
which had been first in use, and they were, therefore, 
discarded, and our present Four Gospels were 
substituted. To give them greater authority, the 
names of apostles who had been with Jesus were 
forged to them, literary forgery in those days not 
being considered a crime. The Fathers, in asserting 
that the books w^ere inspired, were guided not by 
critical ability, but by ignorance and superstition." 

Such, dear friends, are some of the con- 
clusions at which many of our foremost and 
most thoughtful Biblical scholars of the present 
day have arrived. The question now arises, 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 9 

''Shall the common people be told the facts, 
or shall they still be kept in ignorance ? " 

My opinion is that they should know the 
facts. They are as much entitled to know the 
truth as Ministers, Priests, Professors, or 
Theologians. Jesus said to his disciples of old, 
' ' Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
make you free.'' Col. Ingersoll told much 
truth concerning the falsity and the absurdity 
of much of the so-called religion in vogue 
to-day. He succeeded to some extent in 
destroying men' s faith in the old theologies ; 
but he gave in return very little that could be 
regarded as eternal verities on which men could 
base their opinions and hope of the future life. 
To him the ' ' here and the now ' ' was everything. 
So far as a future life is concerned, he was very 
''agnostic." What the world needs to-day is 
a religion and a philosophy which does not end 
with this life ; but extends to the future and 
gives us a hope of Eternal life in a brighter and 
better world. 

What honest and thoughtful men and women 
now need, and are in many cases praying for, 
is more light, not platitudes and buffoonery, 
but trutJi as it is in Christ. I have reasons 
for believing that the truths concerning his 
teachings and the doctrines which he inculcated 
are more accurately set forth in the book 
entitled " The True Theory of Christianity ; or. 
The Lost Book ' ' than in any other book in the 
world to-day. This book was published in 1890. 
This book I firmly believe to be an inspired 
book from the beginning to the end. It is a 
book showing that religion is a life, — a Christ- 
like life and character. That there is no 



10 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

' ' substitute ' ' for personal righteousness. That 
any form of religion which offers a substitute 
for personal righteousness is a sham and a 
humbug. That true repentance means the 
forsaking of one' s sins and turning away from 
them. That ''believing in Christ" means 
having confidence in him and his teachings. 
That ''conversion" means learning to love 
God and man, — to love God as our heavenly 
Father and best friend, and to love man as a 
child of God ; and, therefore, as our brother. 

That it was not necessary to kill something 
or somebody to appease the wrath of an angry 
God ; for, there is no such God and never was 
except in the imagination of men. That God 
is love and every human being is a child of God. 
That God needs neither the ' ' blood ' ' nor the 
sacrifice of any bird, or animal, or man to 
enable him to love His children ; or to be willing 
to pardon a repentant sinner. These and many 
more ideas of equal importance for all to know 
are recorded in a plain and simple way in 
"The Lost Book." 

While I should be glad to have all men 
know and appreciate these essential truths, yet, 
I have never tried to make proselytes of those 
who belonged to churches. I have carefully 
avoided printing anything in pamphlets, news- 
papers or magazines which would have a 
tendency to injure the feelings of so-called 
"orthodox" believers or to weaken their faith 
in the things which they profess to believe. 
My work has been more esjjecially among 
agnostics, skeptics, and among that large and 
increasing number of thoughtful men and 
women who are tired of the old theologies. 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation ? 11 

I desire to bring what proof I can to show 
that IMMORTALITY and INSPIRATION 
are facts and not merely theories invented by 
the Chnrch to deceive the people. 

I do not claim that we have now, or that we 
ever did have, one particle of proof of either 
immortality or of inspiration in any material 
or physical manifestation known in modern 
spiritualism as table-tipping, slate-writing, 
rappings, bell-ringing, or materializations of 
any kind. 

In my opinion, spiritual things are ' 'spiritually 
discerned." Matter is one thing, but spirit is 
quite another thing, and they are not inter- 
changeable or transmutable. 

There are good reasons for believing that, 
since the world began, no man, woman, or 
child ever yet saw a spirit with his natural 
eyes, or heard a spirit with his natural ears, or 
was able to demonstrate a spirit's presence by 
material proof ; yet there are numerous instances 
given in the Bible when men have seen spirits, 
and received communications from the spirit 
world through the soul, or spiritual nature. 

When the Bible is properly understood it 
will be found that ALL the revelations con- 
cerning God and a future life depend entirely 
upon dreams or visions. Even the Christian 
religion has for its mode of worship, faith, and 
knowledge of Deity, no foundation except in 
the interpretation of the dreams and the visions 
of the prophets of old. 

It is probable that in the history of the world 
there is no well authenticated instance where a 
revelation from God or from any intelligence in 
the spirit world was ever made which was not 



12 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

communicated to the revelator in a dream or s 
vision. This assertion applies with equal force 
both to the Bible records and also to alleged 
communications* in modern times. In the trans- 
figuration of Jesus on the Mount, mentioned in 
Matt. 17 : 9, it is distinctly stated that as the 
disciples came down from the mountain, ''Jesus 
charged them, saying : tell the vision to no 
man." Also in the explanation of the matter 
given in Luke 9 : 32, it is distinctly stated that 
''Peter and they that were with him were 
heavy with sleep." 

When Peter saw heaven opened and the 
sheet let down from heaven, it was in a vision, 
while Peter was in a TRANCE on the housetop. 

When Paul heard the voice of Jesus and saw 
the great light, "above the brightness of the 
sun," and was converted, it was in a vision. 
When he was "caught up to the third heaven " 
and heard unspeakable words, which it is "not 
lawful for a man to utter," he was in a trance. 

When Ananias of Damascus, was sent by the 
Lord to find Saul of Tarsus, it was in a vision. 

When Paul heard the voice of a man of 
Macedonia, saying, "Come over into Macedonia, 
and help us," it was in a vision. 

Did time permit, I might multiply references 
by referring to the Old Testament and show 
numerous other instances in ^ which God and 
angels appeared to, and conversed with, men 
in olden times in dreams and visions. 

In 1886, I was a resident of Brooklyn, and a 
member of the New England Congregational 
Church. My wife and I became much interested 
in a series of revival meetings then being held 
in the Church. We both resolved that from 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 13 

that time forward we would work harder and 
do more for the cause of Christ and for the 
good of humanity than we had ever done before. 
My wife had been in poor health for several 
years, and in the autumn of 1886 she was 
suddenly called away by the hand of death. 
The immediate cause of her death was apoplexy. 
To be thus suddenly bereft of my dearest 
earthly friend, and to have my happy home so 
ruthlessly broken up, seemed to me a sorrow 
greater than I could bear. But my trust was 
in God, in Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit, 
and I spent much of my time in prayer. I 
prayed for light, for health, for strength, and 
for guidance. 

In 1887, I felt more and more interested in 
the Master's work, and continued to ask for the 
guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then the great 
loving Grod manifested himself to me. In his 
love and mercy He answered my prayer in a 
peculiar and very unexpected way. He opened 
my spiritual eyes and permitted me to behold 
some of the beauties and some of the glories of 
the unseen world. My joy, as well as my fear 
and astonishment, was so great that I find it 
impossible to adequately express to you the 
emotions which took possession of my soul. 
Instead, therefore, of trying to express my own 
thoughts and feelings, I will now make some 
statements and ask a few questions. 

Some at the present day are willing to admit 
that God could, and did communicate ideas to 
men in olden times — many thousands of years 
ago — but can He do the same thing to-day is 
the question. 

Without, at first, either affirming or denying 



14 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

the possibility or the probability of His doing 
so, let me ask two or three questions. 

Suppose some night, after sleeping soundly 
until about four o'clock in the morning, 
suddenly, you should fall into a deeper sleep 
or trance and a bright light should appear ; 
and instantly you should become conscious of 
your spiritual surroundings. 

Suppose you should seem to be out in the 
open air ; and the great blue vault of the 
heavens seemed spread out before you. As 
you continue to look towards the sky, suppose 
you began slowly to discern the dim outlines 
of a great and beautiful city. 

Suppose, plainer and more distinct it appeared 
as you look, until you see most distinctly out- 
lined against the sky great mansions, and 
towers, and domes. Nearer and still nearer 
you come to this city until you enter at one of 
its pearly gates which seems to swing open to 
admit you. 

Suppose you should here see such magnificent 
buildings, such beautiful gardens and flowers, 
such rare and beautiful jewels, such beautiful 
men, women, and children as you had never 
seen before. Suppose you should hear a voice 
plainly and distinctly, and it should call you 
by name and say, ' ' You are now in the spirit 
world. This is a spiritual vision. When you 
awaken, you will think it was only an ordinary 
dream and that the things which you now see 
and hear are not realities, but simply creations 
of your own imagination. Now, to prevent 
your doubting and to convince you of the 
reality of what you now see and hear, I will 
give you a test. I will show you the correct 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 15 

time of day ; it is now just five o'clock." You 
awake with a start. You look at your watch 
and find it to lack twenty minutes to five. 
You then look at a clock in the room and find 
it is ten minutes past five. Now, suppose that 
later in the day you find that by the correct 
time your watch is twenty minutes too slow 
and that the clock is ten minutes too fast, and 
that, therefore, by the correct time it must 
have been just five o' clock when you awoke. 

As reasonable beings, I wish in all candor to 
ask you, What would you think of it ? Could 
you explain by what natural means you were 
made aware of the correct time ? 

Suppose in order to strengthen your faith in 
the realities of the things which you thus saw 
and heard, frequent tests were given, indicating 
clearly by their accuracy in fulfillment a 
thorough knowledge of things which were to 
take place — not a thousand years hence, but a 
few days or even hours hence. 

Suppose, frequently in a vision, Latin, Greek, 
Hebrew, French, and even English words were 
used, words which you had never heard before, 
and you were told to find out the definition of 
them and see if they did not mean so and so. 
Suppose you invariably found the definition 
given in the Dictionary to correspond precisely 
with the definition given in the vision. What 
would you think of it ? 

Suppose a score or more of remarkable 
prophecies actually came true, in every par- 
ticular, precisely as foretold by you only a few 
days previously. Suppose many of the things 
foretold could not possibly have been known to 
any one but God, W hat would you think of it ? 



16 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

Finally, suppose you were told to write a 
Book and name it ''The Lost Book," and to 
record in the Book what you have heard in the 
visions concerning God, concerning Christ, con- 
cerning the Bible, concerning man, concerning 
immortality, and concerning the future life. 

Suppose that every morning for more than 
three years, at almost exactly four o'clock, in 
one of these visions, a sentence was given you 
to write in the Book. What would you think 
of it ? Would you throw the Manuscript away 
and say nothing about it, or would you publish 
the Book ? 

In 1890, I published the Book, and have sold 
and given away about two thousand copies. I 
have done this, however, without stating pre- 
cisely how the contents of the book were made 
known to me, or the manner in which it was 
written. 

''The Lost Book" contains the words which 
I heard and was told to write. I have prepared 
for publication at some future time, another 
book describing in detail the persons and also 
the things which I saw in the visions. 

In order to show my own sincerity in this 
matter, in 1893 I went before a Notary Public 
in New York and made a Sworn Statement in 
regard to the facts in the case. This Sworn 
Statement I have never as yet made public. 
As opportunity offers, it is my intention to 
deliver, free of charge, a discourse on the 
subject of Immortality and Inspiration, together 
with several other discourses on related themes, 
for the express purpose of trying to benefit 
those who may hear me. It makes no difference 
to me as to what church you may belong, or as 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 17 

to what '' creeds" you may have subscribed. 
What I desire to do is to increase your faith in 
God as your loving Father ; to increase your 
faith in Christ and in His teachings. 

I desire to increase your love for God as your 
Father, and for man as your brother ; and to 
increase your faith concerning the fact of im- 
mortality and inspiration. Thus will I inspire 
in you, and in all others who believe in Christ 
and His teachings, and in love and in character 
try to imitate Him, the blessed hope of Eternal 
Life. 

''The Lost Book" explains in a clear, concise 
and simple way the New Christianity or the 
Religion of Christ ; the Religion of the Future, 
the Religion of Love. 

A religious paper, The New York Church 
Union, says of it : — " ' The Lost Book ' is 
compact with seed- truths tersely stated, not 
sectarian, but reaching out to inclose all 
believers in one course of deed-life toward 
union in Christ." 

I was told in a vision, that ' ' what everyone 
needs is a sort of digest of the Bible, like ' The 
Lost Book,' that everybody can understand 
and come to Jesus confessing their ignorance, 
offering themselves and their services, and 
asking him to teach them." I sincerely believe 
that the subject-matter of ''The Lost Book" 
was given to the end that the Christian world, 
and the present Christian civilization, may 
ultimately become more Christian and thus rise 
to a higher plane of spiritual development. 

I am not a preacher by profession, but simply 
a plain, everyday school teacher. Teaching has 
been my profession during the past forty years. 



18 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

Since 1881, I have taught most of the time 
in private schools in New York and Brooklyn. 

I am willing to testify that in these wonderful 
visions I saw what appeared to be, and what 
was represented to me to be, God. I saw what 
appeared to be, and what was represented to 
me to be, Christ. I saw what appeared to be, 
and what was represented to me to be, men, 
women, and children ; many of whom I once 
knew, and many of whom I did not know. 
I saw what appeared to be, and what was 
represented to me to be, beautiful angels. I 
also saw many loathsome and very horrid 
objects and monsters, in various conditions ; 
so repulsive and terrible that I will not attempt 
to describe them ; yet, these appeared to be, 
and were represented to me to be, human beings. 

Since the year 1889, the author has been 
urged on several occasions, in visions, to let 
the facts be made known in reference to the 
origin of the book which he has written, and 
which he believes to have been inspired from 
the beginning to the end, as much as the 
''Word of Grod" is inspired. 

Without absolutely refusing to do this, the 
author has delayed, and delayed until he is 
now (May 19, 1904,) sixty-four years of age. 
He has delayed in part for the reason that at 
the present day there are so many pretenders 
who are willing to agree to tell your fortune, 
show you a ghost, or bring you a message from 
the spirit world, — all for twenty-five cents, that 
if any genuine phenomena do occur the general 
public are slow to believe it. 

Again, the people in the churches have been 
told so many times from the pulpit that ''either 



Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 19 

the Bible is all inspired or none of it is in- 
spired," that if any book could be found that 
does not agree in every respect with the 
teachings of the Bible, even church people 
would be slow to believe it. Not long ago 
while thinking on these things, and of the 
many difficulties in the way, the author became 
somewhat perplexed regarding his duty in the 
matter. That night while in a death-like trance, 
he was told in a vision that if he was in doubt 
as to his duty, in the morning to go to a 
news-stand and buy a certain New York paper 
(naming it) and look for a short article in which 
the word ''suppose" would be used six times. 
On arising in the morning, he went to a news- 
stand and purchased the paper mentioned in 
the vision. He opened the newspaper and to 
his great astonishment almost immediately 
found the article. He is willing to make oath 
to the fact that he had not the remotest idea 
that any such article was to be published, or 
that any such article had ever been written. 
The writer of the article was a clergyman 
entirely unknown, even by name, to the writer 
of ''The Lost Book." The newspaper is one 
of the large daily papers, though one which he 
had not read in several months. The article 
referred to was so applicable to the subject 
under consideration, and so convincing, that 
the author was never again in doubt in regard 
to his duty in the matter. Now, let some 
theologian or scientist explain just how these 
facts concerning the article were made known 
to the writer, and also answer some of the other 
questions, before criticising too severely the 
four hundred other facts recorded in the new 



20 Is THE World in Need of a New Revelation? 

Commentary on the Bible known as ''The 
True Theory of Christianity ; or. The Lost 
Book." 

The author has been a member in good 
standing in an orthodox church nearly ' forty 
years. He does not wish to be deceived himself, 
nor would he willingly deceive anyone else, 
but if the teachings of ''The Lost Book" are 
really good and true, and if the book is really 
and truly inspired, as he has solemnly sworn 
that be believes it to be ; then, he holds it to 
be his duty, and the duty of all true friends of 
humanity and of progress, to not only read the 
book and profit by its teachings ; but to do all 
in their power to make known to the world the 
facts concerning its origin. 



''The Lost Book'' Inspired. 

A Sworn Statement by the Author. 



To Whom It Mat Cokcer]^ : — 

Knowing how skeptical men are, I have thus 
far refrained from making public a matter 
which, undoubtedly, should have been made 
public when the book entitled, ''The True 
Theory of Christianity; or. The Lost Book" 
was published, Sept. 3, 1890. 

I am not a Spiritualist according to the 
modern acceptation of the term ; but I do 
believe that God can communicate ideas to 
men— even in these days — and that they are 
conscious of such communication. I am willing 
to solemnly swear in the highest Heaven or in 
the deepest hell that I believe I have had such 
a Revelation. 

I believe ' ' The Lost Book ' ' is inspired, from 
the beginning to the end, as much as the Word 
of God is inspired. 

I am willing to testify that the name of the 
book, the preface of the book, the ideas in the 
book and in some instances even the words in 
the book were given me in a series of several 
hundred remarkable visions or dreams during 
the years of 1887-8-9, and that the import of 
these visions or dreams, I carefully and con- 
scientiously wrote out and they are numbered 
and recorded in almost the exact order in which 
they were received. 

These dreams, or visions, or whatever I may 



22 "The Lost Book" Inspired. 

be allowed to call them, usually occurred at 
about four o' clock in the morning. They were 
not like dreams in general, viz : dim, hazy, and 
expressionless ; but on the contrary they were 
quick, flashy, vivid, and coherent. 

The duration of a vision, as near as I am able 
to judge, would not exceed one minute, and 
often, 1 think, much less than a minute. 

I w^ould be sleeping soundly, perfectly un- 
conscious, w^hen suddenly, a bright light would 
appear ; and, instantly, I would become 
conscious of my spiritual surroundings which 
were varied, strange and often very beautiful. 
The appearance of the objects, faces, forms, 
&c., which I saw were, if possible, much more 
distinct in outline and generally were more 
definitely fixed in my mind than are the things 
seen when I am awake. In short, at these 
times, all of my faculties of mind seemed more 
acute than when awake. 

If it shall be asked, Why I, in preference to 
others, perhaps far more worthy, was com- 
missioned to write the book, I can simply say, 
I do not know, nor can I give a valid reason 
unless, possibly, the dear Lord foresaw that I, 
more than others, needed the discipline, the 
encouragement, and the instruction to keep me 
in the straight and narrow way that leadeth to 
life eternal. 

However, I can truly say this : If the ideas 
in "The Lost Book" shall prove as great a 
source of consolation and blessing to others in 
their affiction as they did to me, when bowed 
down in sorrow at the loss of my dear companion, 
I shall feel that I have been well paid for the 
work I had to do. 



"The Lost Book" Inspired. 23 

I do most solemnly swear in the presen(3e of 
Almighty God, and these witnesses, that the 
foregoing statements are true to the best of my 
knowledge and belief. 

Andrew W. Madisojnt. 

Sworn to before me this 8th day of April, 1893. 
John N. Ryan, seal. 

Notary Public, No. 199. 
N. Y. County. 

Signed in the presence of, 

Frederick C. Townsend, 

No. 92 Third Avenue, New York. 
Edward Briggs, 

No. 405 Lexington Avenue, New York. 



Some Remarkable Tests. 



Prophecy is the great test of inspiration, and 
the author of ''The Lost Book" substantiates 
his claim by a score or more of remarkable 
prophecies which actually came true, in every 
particular, precisely as foretold by him. 

Among the things foretold which actually 
came true, he is willing to submit the following 
and to state positively that they all came true 
as stated. He says : — 

1. I was shown in a vision, one morning, the 
correct time when I had no means at the time 
of knowing ; for, my watch and also the clock 
in the room were by no means correct, as I 
found out later in the day. 

2. I was shown in a vision the word ' 'bimana ;" 
and I heard the word properly used, as I after- 
wards learned, though previously I had never 
heard of, or seen the word in my life. 

3. I saw in a vision, one night, after I had 
been contemplating the propriety of suppressing 
certain truths (which had been revealed to me 
with reference to the Church) for fear I should 
displease some who heard me, the words, 
'' Shriver-aemus ;" and neither of these words 
had I ever seen or heard before. 

4. In a vision, I appeared to meet a stranger 
who in speaking of his business mentioned liis 
own name ; and in a few days after this, I 
actually met a stranger who looked the same 
as the man whom I had seen in the vision, and 



Some Remarkable Tests. ^5 

whose name was the same as the word I had 
heard in the vision. 

5. In a vision, I received two letters directed 
to me and one of the letters had the end of the 
envelope folded over or ' ' turned down ; ' ' and 
the next day, I received two letters, and one of 
the letters had the end of the envelope folded 
over or ' ' turned down ' ' the same as the one 
seen in the vision. 

6. In a vision, I thought I attended a court 
of Justice, and heard a cause tried ; and the 
next day, I actually attended a law- suit in a 
village where I had occasion to go, not knowing, 
previously, that there was to be a law-suit 
there. 

7. In a vision, I heard the words, ' ' Hold on 
there ! ' ' shouted out ; and the next day in 
conversation with a friend, I actually heard the 
words, ''Hold on there ! " shouted out by my 
friend while relating to me a thrilling account 
of his early experience as a traveler. 

8. In a vision, I dreamed of visiting a Seminary 
for the purpose of getting a situation there as a 
teacher, and I was told if I would call again in 
three weeks, I could see the Master. Just 
three weeks from that time I did call at a 
certain Seminary, where I hoped to get a 
position as teacher, and was told that the head 
Master was out of town, but that if I would 
call again at a certain time, I could see the 
Master ; and the time mentioned was found on 
computation to be just three weeks to a day. 

9. I heard, in a vision, in connection with a 
subject in which I was deeply interested, the 
words, ''It is a stot;" and the word "stot" 
though directly applicable to the subject was, 



26 Some Remarkable Tests. 

nevertheless, a word of wliicli I had, previously, 
never even heard. 

10. In a vision, I thought that I sat at a 
certain desk in the ''Fifth Avenue School" in 
New York where I was then teaching, (though 
not in the same room in which I was accustomed 
to teach) and that while sitting there a certain 
man, with whom I was acquainted, came into 
the room and spoke to me ; and these circum- 
stances were actually verified a few days later. 

11. I heard in a vision, the words, ''Let us 
call a halt ; ' ' and a few evenings later I heard 
the same words used by a brother who was 
gi^dng his testimony in a Mission. 

12. I saw in a vision an enormous silk hat ; 
and in a few days after, in passing from one 
car to another, on an express train moving 
rapidly, my own hat, in all respects except in 
size, resembling the one I had seen in the vision, 
was suddenly blown from my head and I barely 
escaped being also blown from the train which 
event would, undoubtedly, have cost me my 
life. 

13. I heard in a vision that a certain lecture 
which I had prepared and was delivering as 
occasion offered, was compared to a sharp axe ; 
and I was shown that some one had tried to 
dull this "axe." When I asked who it was 
who had tried to dull my axe, I was given the 
name of a man who had recently started out on 
a lecturing tour ; though of Avhom, previously, 
I had never either known or heard. 

14. I was told in a vision that "Jesus Christ, 
the great teacher, was born in the Island of 
Crete ; ' ' but I am willing to positively swear 
that previous to that time I did not know that 



Some Remarkable Tests. 27 

there was an island by that name, or that there 
ever had been. 

15. In a vision, I heard Friday evening 
mentioned as a good time to deliver my lecture, 
— one of the parts of "The Lost Book," in a 
certain Mission in New York ; and in a day or 
two after this I actually received a letter from 
the Mission requesting that the time, if possible, 
be changed to Friday evening instead of 
Thursday evening, as previously agreed upon. 

16. In a vision, I heard the words, "Give him 
the package," and I dreamed that a package 
was handed me from which I took a letter 
addressed to me as "Teacher," instead of being 
addressed to me in the usual way, by name. 
The very next time I called at the place where 
I was then teaching (Y. M. C. A. 23rd Street) 
I was handed a package which looked the same 
as the one seen in the vision. I opened the 
package and in it found a letter addressed to 
me as "Teacher," the same as the letter seen 
in the vision. 

17. In a vision, I dreamed that a certain, 
gentleman in New York, with whom I was 
acquainted, informed me of a lecture about to 
be delivered, and advised me to attend. In a 
day or two I met the gentleman referred to 
who actually handed me a card announcing a 
lecture to be delivered in the church of which 
the gentleman was a member, and he advised 
me to attend. 

18. In a vision, I was informed that certain 
lectures (Parts of "The Lost Book," before 
publication) which I was then delivering in 
various Missions in New York, would be 
objected to in one Mission on the ground that 



28 Some Remarkable Tests. 

they taught ''Spiritualism ; " and this prophecy 
also proved true, for I very soon received a 
letter from that very Mission requesting that 
my lectures be discontinued, and the above was 
urged as the main reason, — as though it was 
possible for a man to believe in Christ and his 
teachings, and not believe in Spiritualism in 
the sense in which Christ believed in it. 

19. I saw in a vision a man in the room where 
I appeared to be. This man was maneuvering 
with fire-arms ; and, while pointing his weapon 
in the direction of a certain window in the 
room, and at the pane of glass in the lower right- 
hand corner of that window, the weapon was 
discharged with a loud report. The following 
night, I occupied a room in a house in a city 
over fifty miles distant from the place where I 
had seen the vision. In the room in which I 
was to sleep for the night I was informed by a 
young man of an accident, or circumstance, 
which had taken place in this room a short time 
previously. 

This young man stated that while maneuvering 
with his gun he had accidentally discharged its 
contents through a pane of glass in the lower 
right-hand corner of a certain window in this 
room, and this window was located in precisely 
the same part of the room as the one seen by 
me in the vision. 

20. I saw in a vision, very distinctly, what 
appeared to be the open Bible. The first few 
verses of the first chapter of Romans was 
pointed out to me. My attention was par- 
ticularly called to the verse containing the 
word "obedience." This word, obedience, 
appeared large and very distinct as if printed 



Some Remarkable Tes^t^s. 29 

in larger type. I am willing to make oath to 
the fact that, previously, I was not aware that 
the first chapter of Romans contained the word, 
obedience. 

21. In a vision, I heard the word LI VRAISON; 
and, apparently that there should be no mistake, 
I was asked by one present whom I believe to 
have been Christ, the great Teacher, to spell 
the word. I tried to spell the word, but was 
informed by my Teacher that the second letter 
was incorrect. That a mistake should have 
been made on the first syllable is not so very 
strange when it is remembered that the word 
LIVRAISON is from the French, and is not 
pronounced as it is spelled. Previous to this 
vision, I did not even know that there was such 
a word. Subsequent investigation, however, 
showed me not only that there is such a word, 
but that it means ' 'A part of a book or literary 
composition printed and delivered from time to 
time, as the work advances." 

The LIVRAISON referred to in this sentence 
I understand to mean, ''The True Theory of 
Christianity ; or, The Lost Book." The name 
of this little book is not an invention of my 
own, but was given me, also, in a vision. The 
words in the preface are almost word for word 
precisely as given in a vision. 

22. Certain passages of Scripture were often, 
in visions, pointed out to me. Sometimes 
certain words in these passages would appear 
to be in larger type, indicating their importance, 
relevancy, and pertinence to the subject under 
discussion. 

23. On one occasion in direct answer to prayer, 
wlieu not in a trance, I was enabled to close my 



30 Some Remarkable Tests. 

eyes and open the Bible at random twice in 
succession and place my first finger on certain 
words which I had asked the Lord to point out 
to me. The words were, ''Will of God." 
These were the words asked for, and this was 
the direct answer received. 

24. In consequence of the superstition and 
the intolerance so prevalent in many of the 
churches at the present time, the author of 
''The Lost Book," on one occasion, became 
somewhat troubled and perplexed regarding 
his duty in the matter of making public his 
experiences while writing the book. That night 
while in a death-like trance, he was told in a 
vision that if he was in doubt as to his duty, in 
the morning to go to a news-stand and buy a 
certain New York paper (naming it) and look 
for a short article in which the word "suppose" 
would be used six times. 

On arising in the morning, he went to a news- 
stand and purchased the paper mentioned in 
the vision. He opened the newspaper and to 
his great astonishment almost immediately 
found the article.^ He is willing to make oath 
to the fact that he had not the remotest idea 
that any such article was to be published, or 
that any such article had ever been written. 
The writer of the article was a clergyman en- 
tirely unknown, even by name, to the writer of 
"The Lost Book." The newspaper is one of 
the large daily papers, though one which he 
had not read in several months. The article 
referred to was so applicable to the subject 
under consideration, and so convincing, that 
the author was never again in doubt in regard 

♦ For copy of article, see pages 43-44. 



Some Remarkable Tests. 



31 



to his duty in the matter. Now, let some 
theologian or scientist explain just how these 
facts concerning the article were made known 
to the writer, and also answer some of the 
other questions, before criticising too severely 
the four hundred other facts recorded in the 
New Commentary on the Bible known as ''The 



True Theory of Christianity 
Book." 



or, The Lost 



Statement of Facts. 



The foregoing statement of facts concerning 
tests and prophecies is plain, truthful, positive 
and open to investigation as to circumstances, 
time, and place. On the other hand, it is now 
claimed by many that the tests and prophecies 
recorded in the Bible are for the most part 
vague, indefinite and generally admit of a 
double meaning. It is also claimed that the 
authorship of the Bible tests and prophecies is 
unknown, and that no one knows when or 
where they were written. 

In order to show the opinion of thoughtful and 
educated men concerning the Bible prophecies, 
I desire to quote a few sentences from a book 
entitled, ''The Bible— Whence and What?" 
By Richard B. Westbrook, D. D., LL. B. In 
his book. Page 49, the author says, ''The 
alleged evidence from prophecy is no more 
satisfactory. It is defined 'a miracle of 
knowledge.' Here the same embarrassment 
arises regarding source and genuineness. It is 
obvious to the careful reader that many of the 
so-called prophecies of the Old Testament were 
never fulfilled. Then, many ancient utterances 
were called prophecy that were never intended 
as such, were often contingent, often rescinded, 
as in reference to Eli, David, Hezekiah, Jonah 
and many others. Besides, little or nothing is 
known as to the time of the utterance of the 
alleged prophecy. How little is kuown even 



Statement of Facts. 33 

of Isaiah, who is styled the 'evangelical 
prophet ! ' The book accredited to him con- 
tains sixty-six chapters, bnt the last twenty- 
seven chapters are confidently ascribed by 
competent critics to some anonymous writer 
about one hundred and fifty years later. 

''Much stress is laid upon the claim that 
many prophecies of the Old Testament supposed 
to relate to the Messiah were literally fulfilled 
in Jesus of Nazareth, while many profoundly 
learned Bible critics contend that there is not 
to be found a single example of such prophecy 
and fulfilment, even though the invention of the 
double sense of prophecy be admitted. These 
I)redictions or hopes were intended to apply to 
eminent characters in Hebrew history as de- 
liverers^ and can only be applied to Jesus by a 
forced and unnatural construction. Then, 
again, many things recorded in the New Testa- 
ment are unwittingly admitted to have been 
done to fulfil a supposed prophecy — 'that it 
might be fulfilled ! ' There is one very amusing 
example of an attempt to fulfil an alleged 
prophecy — viz., that of 'Jesus dwelling in 
Nazareth,' because it had been prophesied that 
he should be 'called a Nazarene' — no such 
prophecy ever having been uttered ! The most 
critical scholarship of the learned Avorld does 
not credit miracles, and does not believe that 
one Scripture prophecy was ever fulfilled, but 
that many so-called prophecies remain unful- 
filled ! " 

Such, dear friends, are some of the conclusions 
at which the highest scholarship of the present 
age have arrived. Personally, I am unable to 
say whether the prophecies of the Bible have 



34 Statement of Facts. 

been fulfilled or not. I simply know that my 
own experience was, in every respect, just as I 
have described it ; and that every prophecy was 
fulfilled in every particular as stated. 

These wonderful matutinal visions began in 
1887 and continued to occur more or less fre- 
quently until the year 1900. It would be im- 
possible for me to give the exact number of 
visions ; but, at the lowest estimate, there were at 
least twelve hundred. In a book which may at 
some future time be published I have described 
in detail quite a large number of them, but on 
the present occasion I will describe but one. 

In a vision, I seemed to be making a speech 
to the people. I was apparently standing in 
the plaza at the Fifth Avenue entrance of 
Central Park. As I stood facing the Park, I 
looked towards my right and there beheld a 
wonderful sight. One whom I had reason to 
believe to be the eternal Father was there, and 
looking at me. He seemed to be seated either 
on a throne, or some kind of chair. I did not 
notice particularly, for I was so much amazed 
at His size. When seated, his head seemed to 
tower far above the top of the ''Netherlands," 
or even the very tallest church spire. 

The speech spoken through me at the time 
was in part as follows : ' ' We are fast becoming 
a nation of agnostics and skeptics and the fault 
is in part with the churches. We are told 
Sunday after Sunday that the Bible is all in- 
spired, that we must believe it all, for say the 
preachers, ' It is either all inspired or none of 
it is inspired.' They have proclaimed this idea 
so much that people are now beginning to take 
them at their word. When the people read the 



Statement of Facts. 35 

Bible carefully, they find so much in it that is 
contrary to history, contrary to reason, and not 
only contradictory, but contrary to the general 
experience of mankind that they conclude that 
the preachers are right in saying that the Bible 
is either all inspired or none of it is inspired ; 
and, as an alternative, they choose to believe 
that none of it is inspired. 

' ' I think ministers and others make a great 
mistake in saying that the Bible is all inspired. 
Undoubtedly some of it is inspired and some of 
it is not inspired. Any one v^ho says that the 
Bible is not inspired, at least in some parts of 
it, is either mentally defective and lacking in 
good judgment, or he is trying to deceive him- 
self. This is strong language, but I repeat : 
Any one who says that the Bible is not inspired, 
at least in some parts of it, is either mentally 
defective and lacking in good judgment, or he 
is trying to deceive himself. On the other hand 
the preachers show a lack of good judgment by 
saying that the Bible is all inspired. The Bible 
itself does not say it is all inspired." 

As I finished my speech the great loving 
Father seemed to rise from his seat and ascend 
higher and higher in the air. As He ascended 
He appeared to be still larger, and more majestic, 
and His face and His raiment sparkled and 
shone with dazzling brilliancy. Then the air 
seemed filled for an instant with bright and 
beautiful crystals which sparkled in the sunlight 
as they seemed to fall from His hand. One of 
the crystals seemed to strike me on the back of 
my right hand and instantly I awoke. 

I am of the opinion that the power of our 
dear heavenly Father is unlimited. I believe 



36 Statement of Facts. 

that in Heaven lie can appear in the form of a 
man, and the size of an ordinary man. I believe 
that he can also appear one thousand miles high 
if He chooses to do so, and still be in the form 
or shape of a man. I believe that His Holy- 
Spirit fills the rational universe and is omni- 
present. 



Reasons for Believing. 



I have many reasons for believing the visions 
to have been real and not hallucinations, among 
which are the following : — 

1st. I have not generally been very much 
given to theorizing ; or, speculating about 
things which did not directly concern me. 
During this wonderful experience, I was 
generally in perfect health. 

2nd. On two occasions the visions continued 
until I was almost fully awake or conscious of 
my earthly surroundings, though my eyes were 
closed. On these occasions my own mind 
seemed to be perfectly quiescent, and instantly 
when I began to think the vision faded. I 
fail to see just how that could be explained on 
the theory that it was a delusion of the mind. 

3rd. When, on retiring, my mind was the 
most passive and the most tranquil, I could see 
and hear, spiritually, the best. 

4th. I was generally able to understand the 
meaning of a vision the first time, even when it 
was not given in words, but I have had the 
same vision repeated at least three times within 
an hour. 

5th. One of my strongest reasons for believing 
that these visions were of God, and by and 
through His power and influence, is that their 
influence on me was always for good and never 
for evil. So direct and positive were the senti- 
ments expressed firstly, lastly, and continually 



38 Reasons for Believing. 

for good, for love to God and man, and for 
righteousness that my own ideas of right and 
wrong, though reared in a Cliristian land, and 
for many years a member of an orthodox church, 
seemed very crude and very far from w^hat 
genuine love to God and man should dictate. 

6th. During the years of 1887-'88-'89, in 
visions, I was permitted to see many scores of 
forms and faces if possible even more distinctly 
than I see with my natural eyes. They appeared 
not as shadows, or phantoms, or in any sense 
ghostlike, as superstitious people sometimes 
imagine spirits to look ; but on the contrary 
they looked and appeared in their actions like 
real men and women, very intelligent, beauti- 
fully clothed, and fair to look upon. 

7th. I saw in this w^ay beautiful forests, lakes, 
rivers, towns and cities ; great flower gardens 
and gorgeous palaces ; more stately, richly 
furnished and wonderful in appearance than 
any I have ever seen with my natural eyes. 
These all seemed real and not like phantoms. 

8th. I have dreamed and dreamed for fifty 
years or more ; but, an ordinary dream is one 
thing and a vision is quite another thing. As a 
candle, dimly burning, is to the full glare of the 
noon-day sun, so is a dream to a vision. As a 
snail is to an antelope so is a man in an ordinary 
dream to a man in a vision. As the shadow 
is to the substance so are the things seen in 
ordinary dreams to the things seen in visions. 

9th. I believe the visions were of God for the 
reason that the statements made in them, and 
the arguments used, appealed so much more 
strongly to my judgment and conscience, when 
I awoke, than the teachings of my ''creed" 



Reasons for Believing. 39 

that as a result my religious views were changed. 
I can truly say, no argument of man has ever 
brought me to believe as I do now, and it is 
probable that no argument of man will ever 
cause me to change my present belief. 

1 have changed my views it is true ; but, I 
have by no means given up all. In place of 
''orthodox" dogmas, I now have God, and He 
is ten thousand times dearer to me than all the 
''creeds" can give me. I prefer to believe 
what Christ says of himself rather than to 
believe what others say about him. I have 
learned, in a vision, that : " It is not so much 
what somebody else was or was not that saves 
us as it is what we are ourselves." I had rather 
have the religious experience and the religious 
belief that I have than all the diamonds and 
gold of the Indies. I believe firmly in Jesus 
Christ and his teachings, — and "The Lost 
Book" shows what his doctrine WAS and IS, 
when the records concerning it are stripped 
of figurative language, perversions, and inter- 
polations. 

10th. "The Lost Book" treats of subjects 
which, unaided, I should not deem myself 
competent to handle, and which I should not 
care to take the responsibility to handle even 
if I did feel myself competent. I believe, 
therefore, that it is of God and that it is His 
will that the facts contained therein should be 
made known to the world, and consequently, I 
humbly submit my will to His will. In the 
writing of the book, I take no credit whatever 
to myself. In a vision, I generally appeared in 
the role as the friend and willing pupil of those 
who acted as my instructors, and I simply did 



40 Reasons for Believing. 

as I was told. The instruction was not always 
given in words, but more frequently in what is 
known as ''object lessons." I seemed to be 
required in most instances to express the ideas 
in my own language. When the instruction 
was not given in words, I did not hesitate to 
quote from the Scriptures in case the words of 
Scripture, in my opinion, expressed the ideas 
better than any words at my command. I did 
not try to be wise above my instructors, and try 
to dictate what should be written ; nor, did I 
write things A^ithout what I supposed to be 
good authority. ''The Lost Book*' may not 
be perfect ; few things in this world are perfect ; 
but, God knows my heart, and knows that I 
did, in every instance, the very best that I was 
capable of doing. If, therefore, I positively 
knew this to be my last day on earth and that 
to-morrow I should be in eternity, I do not 
know of a sentence in " The Lost Book" that I 
should care to leave out, or to change. After 
the book was completed, I had the satisfaction 
of hearing, in a vision, these words in reference 
to it : "It is easy to make a man understand 
this from beginning to end. If he will only 
just appreciate it, and act uj^on it. Be true ; 
be faithful." 

11th. During the tliree years in which "The 
Lost Book" was being written, I was so fully 
occupied with my business as bookkeeper and 
teacher that I had little or no time to spend in 
a morbid contemplation of the subject-matter 
or in the arrangement of it. I simply T\T:*ote 
what I had seen or heard, during the night, in 
the vision without knowing or even trying to 
think what was to come next. 



Reasons for Believing. 41 

12tli. I think among theologians prophecy is 
regarded as one of the very strongest evidences 
of inspiration, and prophecy has been by no 
means wanting in my experiences. God has 
dealt very kindly by me. He revealed Himself 
to me in a remarkable way. He has given me 
many wonderful evidences not only of His own 
existence and Personality, but also of the future 
life of man. He has told me truly in visions 
concerning things which no one on earth could 
possibly know but myself. Again, He has told 
me of things which did actually come to pass — 
things which I did not know and of which no 
one but God could know. Some of the things, 
to which I refer, came to pass on the day 
following, just as they were foretold, and one 
thing came to pass just as it was foretold twenty- 
three years previously — showing I think con- 
clusively that God, the dear loving Father, 
knows what will take place a thousand years 
hence just as well as He knows what has already 
taken place. Whether the things foretold were 
great or small it matters not so long as they 
actually came true. I think all will agree with 
me in saying that if these things all came true 
beyond the shadow of a doubt, it gives me the 
right to claim as true other things of much more 
importance which were told me in the same 
way ; and which, neither I nor any other living 
man has any means of either verifying or of 
successfully contradicting. 

13th. In conclusion, I will say that having 
had in all something over twenty thousand 
students in the various seminaries and business 
schools in which I have been engaged in the 
work of teaching during the past forty years, 



42 Reasons for Believing. 

it is but fair to presume that the majority of 
these students would vouch for my integrity 
and honesty of purpose. The visions began in 
1887, and I was then forty-seven years of age. 
Sixteen years have passed since then, and thus 
far nothing has occurred in any way to shake 
my faith in the reality or truthfulness of the 
things which I saw and heard in the visions. 
On the other hand, the ripest scholarship, both 
in science and theology, has served to confirm 
and strengthen my belief in the reliability of 
the things recorded in ''The Lost Book." 

14th. Quite a number of revelations were 
made after "The Lost Book" was published. 
In a series of ten discourses, which may at some 
future time be published, I have explained 
many things which I think will prove to be of 
great interest and benefit to mankind. In one 
of these discourses there is not even one word 
of my own composition. Every sentence, and 
every word, was given me in a series of these 
wonderful visions. This fact I regard as an 
evidence that this discourse is divinely inspired. 
While writing the other discourses, I was told 
in a vision to say whatever I thought would be 
of benefit to mankind ; but to expect nothing, 
— and this is the plan to which I have always 
strictly adhered. 

But, if the good people in the churches are 
willing to believe my report, and come to the 
rescue ; if they are willing to ' ' put their 
shoulder to the wheel ' ' and use their personal 
influence and endeavor to let the facts be known 
in reference to the origin of ''The Lost Book," 
we can soon lift many of the dark clouds of 
error and superstition which now rest upon the 



Reasons for Believing. 43 

people. We can liave a revival of the Chris- 
tianity of Christ such as has not been heard of 
in a hundred years. We can establish, under 
the leadership of Christ, a new and more perfect 
Christian civilization, and thus do something to 
hasten the coming of the kingdom of God. 

As a curiosity, and also as an additional 
evidence that man has avenues of knowledge 
apart from the five senses, the article referred 
to is here produced verbatim. 

" It is conceivable, and it is likewise possible, that some day a 
man may find an absolutely sure means whereby to extirpate both 
consumption and cancer from every part of the known world. 
Now, suppose that the man who made this discovery first gave the 
absolutely convincing proof that his representations were honest 
and true, and then announced that he would give none the benefit 
of his discovery. Suppose, furthermore, that the man died, and 
that his discovery perished with him. No mind can estimate the 
loss entailed upon the whole race. In a community like ours, 
and in every other community throughout the world, that man 
would become a hissing and his name an execration. 

" Again, suppose this discovery to have been made by one who 
was led to his investigations through his desire to abolish sickness 
and suffering. No sooner has he the remedy than he sends 
broadcast the full knowledge of his discovery. The telegraph 
and the cable transmit the ^lad tidings to every corner of the 
globe, and on the morning following every newspaper is full of 
admiration and applause for this new and this wondrous benefactor 
of humanity. Furthermore, imagine that he possesses millions of 
dollars, and that he spends his millions for just this one purpose — 
namely, to bring the benefits of his discovery into every sick 
chamber throughout the world. 

*' Now, imagine the appearance of one possessed of that 
keenness of penetration, in the exercise of which he can detect 
mental and spiritual disease ; that he can demonstrate the 
lamentable contrast between a man spiritually sound and whole 
and one whose vitality is either undermined or destroyed. 

* ' Imagine that such a one came into our midst — into this 
metropolis, honeycombed and riddled with open faced vice and 
shameless corruption from one extreme of the social ladder to the 
other ; suppose that he made manifest the fact that he had the 
power to cleanse and purify this city, making it bright and clean 
and wholesome, abolishing all haunts of vice and degradation, 



44 Reasons for Believing. 

tilling every municipal office with men competent for and loyally 
wedded to their respective tasks ; suppose that, furthermore, he 
could create and firmly, enduringly establish a public sentiment 
and conviction of that civic righteousness which should ever 
sustain the servants of the people in their administration. All 
this, it will be granted, is at least supposable. Then, last of all, 
imagine that the man turned away, declaring that he felt no 
interest, that he recognized no claim, that he would do nothing. 
There is a sense in which it is absolutely and incontestably true 
that ' the voice of the people is the voice of God.' In an instant 
there would be such an outburst of indignation that he must 
escape for his life. 

"On the other hand, suppose that he came into our midst, 
resplendent in grace and virtue ; that he offered himself as our 
willing servant ; that he toiled among us by day and by night ; 
that freely he employed all his talents and spent all his powers 
both for our individual and collective regeneration ; that he made 
us sound morally, mentally, spiritually ; that he raised all this 
marvelous life of our city high up into the region of that which 
is true and beautiful and good." 

— New York Daily Tribune^ March i8, igoi. 



Opinions. 



From the Brooklyn Courier : ' * * The Lost Book ' is one of 
the most interesting and, in a certain respect, most remarkable 
books ever issued." 

From F. W, 7*., (a critic)'. * 'Allow me to express my appre- 
ciation of ' The Lost Book.* I have seldom found a book in which 
there was less dross and more true metal than in that one." 

From H, A. B,y (an agnostic): ** It is primitive Christianity 
as against Atheism and modern so-called Orthodoxy. ' The Lost 
Book * opposes alike the skepticism that rejects all and the credulity 
that accepts all." 

From Rev. II. J. Z., {Congregationalist) : ** I am a great deal 
more glad for the multitudes of our agreements than sad for our 
comparatively few differences of opinion. But our differences of 
opinion is no bar to our unity of faith, and hope, and love." 

From the New York Mail and Express .• * * * The Lost Book ' 
is being sent by American clergymen to missionaries in Japan, the 
West Indies and elsewhere. The little work is a curiosity in 
religious literature, and some readers express their belief that it 
was inspired." 

From ^« Unitarian: ** The morality of 'The Lost Book' is 
above reproach, and I truly believe if that sort of a ' gospel ' had 
been preached all these hundreds of years since Christ came into 
the world, the world would be far better than it is now and man- 
kind much more Christian." 

From The Church Union : * ' * The True Theory of Christi- 
anity ; or, The Lost Book,' by Prof. Andrew W. Madison, A. M., 
New York, is compact with seed-truths tersely stated, not sectarian, 
but reaching out to inclose all believers in one course of deed-life 
toward union in Christ. This unique work will well repay any 
one that may be led to read and heed its words." 

From the Book News — {Published by John Wanamaker , 
Philadelphia) : * ' ' The True Theory of Christianity ; or. The 
Lost Book.' By Andrew W. Madison, A. M. The first edition 
of this book was published in 1890. We might call the work a 
condensed Bible or a new Bible. It claims to contain ' a statement 
of four hundred facts in harmony with the teachings of Christ, 



46 Opinions. 

showing what His doctrine literally and truly was and is when the 
records concerning it are properly interpreted and rightly under- 
stood.' The condensation is indeed its excellent quality, and its 
moral tone is of the highest. As some one says, ' It opposes alike 
the skepticism that rejects all and the credulity that accepts all.' 
The author firmly believes it to have been inspired. It does seem 
in many ways to be a wonderful work." 

From the Author: "I solemnly swear that I believe 'The 
Lost Book ' to be more truthful than what we call ' our Bible.' It 
has to be read and it has to be studied in order to be appreciated. 
It will only be read, and studied, and appreciated when men give 
up their superstition sufficiently to be willing to examine it. The 
New Testament, as we now have it, was written to fit the 'creeds' 
instead of the 'creeds' to fit the New Testament." 

From Leaders of Missions : * ' The pure wheat without the 
chaff." "A very able lecture." "Enough truth to save the 
whole world." " A glorious feast." "More truth than I ever 
heard crowded into a half-hour discourse before." "Every fact^ 
stated would furnish a text for a sermon," etc. The six preceding 
sentences, publicly spoken in commendation of Part I, of "The 
Lost Book," when delivered as a lecture by the author before 
publication, will serve to show how it was received at six of the 
leading missions of New York. 

From The Outlook : "A Commentary on the Bible, and es- 
pecially on things that men should know concerning the teachings 
of Christ." 

From The Christian Life : ' ' Its aim seems to be to promote 
* the true theory of Christianity ' which is consistent with the 
teachings of Christ. It is worth consideration, and bears the 
impress of divine truth." 

From the Chicago Unity ^ {a Journal of Religion) : "A book 
written in an excellent spirit, which received very favorable 
comments from the religious and secular press and which had a 
considerable sale in its first edition. It is a statement of what 
appears to the writer to be the essential truths of Christianity, — 
all else evidently being regarded by him as dross. He tells us 
(page 5) ' that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are manifestations 
of the same power and Godhead, but that the Father and Son are 
separate personalities.' Elsewhere (page 73) he says that 'the 
Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is not a separate or distinct personality, 
but simply another name for God.' And on page 77 he tells us 
that we should believe in Jesus Christ — ' not, of course, as the 
eternal Father and Supreme God, but as a true and perfect man, 
the wisest and best that ever lived.' The noteworthy thing about 



Opinions, 47 

the new edition is that, in accordance with certain hints in previous 
advertisements of the book, its author now makes affidavit that it 
was revealed to him in a series of several hundred matutinal visions 
during the years 1887, 1888 and 1889." 

From Benj. G, Benedict^ A. M., {''Orthodox''')'. "I have 
known Prof. A. W. Madison many years ; have read his work, ' The 
Lost Book,' and several of his lectures on related themes. He is 
an earnest and conscientious man, who aims to make his life agree 
with the teachings he publishes and declares. He has the gift 
of felicitous expression, and his book abounds in condensed and 
striking passages upon almost every page. I do not agree with 
him in the statements and teachings therein which are contrary to 
the orthodox view of the contents of the sacred Scriptures, but I 
hereby express my belief in his personal sincerity and in the un- 
selfishness with which he proclaims what he holds to be the truth." 

Yxom Rev. C M. S., {Episcopalian)-. "Those statements in 
Prof. Madison's Discourses concerning Prophetic Dreams and 
Spiritual Visions are very curious and interesting. I should 
probably need a little time to digest the ideas. The subject is 
very deep. It is far above the heads of those who generally attend 
our Mission. The subject of those visions is better adapted, in 
my opinion, to the capacity of college graduates. I think that 
such men as Prof. Felix Adler or Rev. Robert Collyer — men of 
broad and liberal minds who think on such subjects, would give 
him more candid and better advice in regard to the visions than 
any ' orthodox.' " 

From the Irish World — {Catholic)'. "'The True Theory of 
Christianity; or, The Lost Book,' is the latest contribution to 
Biblical literature. The author, Prof. Andrew W. Madison, A.M., 
has for thirty years been prominent in the educational circles of 
New York City. There is much in the book to commend. That 
a life without faith is apt to result in a failure is well brought out 
by the writer. While we deprecate the attempt to dwell too much 
on the human phase of our Saviour's character at the expense of 
the divine, we must credit the author with a delicacy and reverence 
in the handling of his subject that entirely precludes any sacrilegious 
intent. Clergymen, theologians and laymen will find much in this 
work to interest them." 

From the Sunday Globe: "This remarkable book is now 
exciting comment throughout the religious world and some are 
beginning to speak of it as ' The New Bible.' The morality of 
the book is above reproach and its every inculcation is strictly 
Christian. Its peculiarity consists in the wonderful way in which 



48 Opinions. 

the name, the preface, the ideas, and in some instances even the 
words in the book were given the author during the years of 1887, 
1888, 1889. The author of ' The Lost Book ' is not a Spiritualist 
according to the modern acceptation of the term (See page 10, 
par. 37 of * The Lost Book'), but he believes that God can, and 
does, communicate ideas to men in visions and dreams as in days 
of old. For fear that some who did not know him personally 
should doubt his sincerity, he went before a Notary Public and 
made a sworn statement to the fact that he composed the book, 
little by little, in several hundred very remarkable visions, during 
the years above mentioned, and also solemnly swears that he 
believes * The Lost Book ' is inspired from the beginning to the 
end, as much as the 'Word of God' is inspired. Prophecy is 
the great test of inspiration, and the author substantiates his claim 
by a score or more of remarkable prophecies which actually came 
true, in every particular, precisely as foretold by him only a few 
days previously. Many of the things foretold could not possibly 
have been known to any one but God. He claims that the book 
deals with the matter supposed to have been contained in the 
Books of Holy Writ which were lost. Mr. Madison is well and 
favorably known in New York. He is now, and has been for 
over thirty years, a member in good standing in an orthodox 
church, but, if the things stated in * The Lost Book' are true, the 
time has now come to change some of the so-called ' orthodox * 
creeds, so as to make them more in harmony with the teachings 
of Christ. To be appreciated ' The Lost Book ' must be read. 
We predict for it a large sale." 

From H, W, C. , {an Infidel') : * * I have never regarded the 
Bible as being an inspired book. * The Lost Book' is, indeed, 
something very remarkable. I cannot explain it, you cannot 
explain it, and nobody can explain it. I suppose the plainest and 
simplest solution of it is to admit that it is of God." 

Yxon\ Rev. G, Z. W., {''Orthodox^'' Congregationalist) : ** 'The 
Lost Book' is truly very wonderful, but all of the visions could 
never make me believe that Christ was only a good man taught of 
God. To me, Christ was God. The Holy Ghost is God, and the 
Father is God, — all three are God and God is all three. I do not 
believe that any Unitarian, no matter how much he may love God 
and man, or however good he may be, will go to Heaven. Nothing 
but the 'Blood' of Christ can save a man from hell." 

From R. C. M., {Episcopalian)-. "I sat up until after 12 
o'clock last night reading ' The Lost Book ' and I became very 
deeply interested in it. I see by it that though you do not regard 
Christ as God yet that you give him all the credit." 



k 



Opinions. 49 

From the American Weekly^ {a Journal of Religion) : *' It is 
the business of the Church, the whole Church, to fill the world 
with light, the light of the Son of God. How poorly the work has 
been done in two thousand years, we need hardly say. The proofs 
are around us and within us all. Apart altogether from the vast 
shadows of heathendom, the state of the Christian peoples is enough 
to fill us with drear dismay. To find that so many of our own 
fellow-citizens openly reject Christianity, to find that so many of 
the lesser leaders of our working men are passionate and vehement 
in their denunciation of the Church and its faith, is enough to 
arrest the most inveterate optimist among us. The facts are that 
the Church of Christ is broken into hostile fragments and that the 
testimony it should bear to the Gospel is thereby largely discredited, 
and to many minds it is rendered ridiculous. Nevertheless at this 
beginning of the year 1903, we have good ground for sober 
encouragement. People everywhere are feeling after the unity of 
the Church. Reunion can only come in the region of service. 
It is not the theorists and theologians alone or principally who 
can promote this great cause. It is those who face the world's 
needs and who daily use the resources of Christ for their sacred 
warfare, who are willing to stand by any man who seeks the entire 
salvation of men and of human society through the name of Christ, 
— it is they who are to-day doing most to bind up the broken 
pieces and to make the Church of Christ once more his own living 
and powerful weapon for good to man." 

From Mrs. J, L. M., {Methodist) : * ' The experience to which 
you refer is very strange and interesting. If you saw those things, 
I do not see how you could keep it to yourself so long. I should 
have told of it long ago. You say those who, when they die, do 
not love God or man are not enough alive in the spirit world to 
fully realize their misery or their loss. I am just ugly enough to 
think they ought to realize their punishment." 

From Rev, S. M, C, {Episcopalian) : ** It is not often that we 
have the privilege of listening to as good a discourse as we have 
listened to to-night." 

From Rev. C. E. B., {Presbyterian) : *' More truth than I ever 
heard crowded into a half -hour discourse before. If I should try 
for one hundred years I could not say as much in one half-hour. 
Every fact stated would furnish a text for a sermon." 

From D. K. B., {Liberal Congregationalist): *' Yours is a 
truly most wonderful experience. Your discourses are out of the 
general line of thought. Some of the ideas advanced would very 
likely be opposed by a certain class of religionists who care more 
for the teachings of their * creeds ' than they do for the teachings 



50 Opinions. 

of Christ. There are comparatively few independent thinkers. 
Most of us, especially in our early years, do not investigate for 
ourselves, but simply believe as we have been taught. If one 
wishes to get on easily in this world he must agree with every man 
and never question his religion or his politics. If, however, one 
has the courage of his convictions and can rise above the fear of 
ridicule, or criticism, he most certainly has the right to express his 
opinions ; but, every leader of thought and of new ideas who has 
tried to benefit mankind has been persecuted at first." 

From a Worker in a New York Mission : "I am a professed 
Christian, and yet it seems to me that my heart is about two inches 
larger since hearing that discourse. I did not realize that there 
was so much in store for us." 

From Rev. G. H, Z>., {an ''''Evangelist'') : " Such visions and 
such revelations are certainly very marvelous ; but, if an angel from 
Heaven should tell me that ' Jesus Christ was born in the Island 
of Crete,' I would not believe him. I believe what the Bible says. 
If the Bible said that 'Jonah swallowed the whale,' instead of 
saying that * the whale swallowed Jonah,' I would believe it." 

From The New York Journal: "A careful perusal of 'The 
Lost Book ' indicates that the object in writing it was not so much 
for the purpose of criticising believers in existing ' creeds ' and 
present modes of worship, as it was to point out the difference as 
viewed by the author between the theology in vogue to-day and 
the pure religion or Christianity as taught by the Christ and his 
immediate followers. ' The Lost Book ' attempts to show that 
when properly interpreted and rightly understood, the teachings 
of Christ never had even the remotest reference to any of the 
theological dogmas now deemed so essential to salvation." 

From Mr. S. M. P., {Episcopalian)-, " * The Lost Book' 
might very truthfully have been named 'Inspired Light,' for it 
throws light on many obscure passages of Scripture. In my 
opinion, such a book would be a great aid to Sabbath School 
teachers in assisting them to explain the truth as Jesus taught it." 

From Rev, D. L. Moody ^ {the Evangelist) : "If the Christianity 
in vogue to-day is in harmony with the simple teachings of Jesus 
Christ, I am very much mistaken." 

From Miss M, H, S. , {Presbyterian) : "I am the pleased 
recipient of your little book, ' The True Theory of Christianity ; 
or. The Lost Book,' and have read it with much interest. I shall 
keep it on my table and use it, daily, in connection with my Bible, 
and feel sure I shall gain many useful hints from it." 



Opinions. 51 

From Miss Emily E. Barbier, {a teacher) \ '* I have been 
personally acquainted with Prop\ Andrew W. Madison since 
1892. His occupation has been that of a teacher of Commercial 
branches. During the past twelve years he has been principal of 
a business school in New York City. Teaching has been his 
calling for many years and he is well and favorably known 
throughout the State. In my opinion, his veracity and integrity 
are unquestionable. I have read ' The Lost Book ' and also the 
pamphlet containing his Sworn Statement explaining its origin. 

* The Lost Book * presents facts which appeal to one's reason and 
conscience and are, therefore, unanswerable. They show what 
our lives should be in this world, and they give us an assurance of 
immortality. I believe ' The Lost Book * contains truths which 
all men should wish to know. It is true ' The Lost Book ' breaks 
down our pre-conceived ideas of salvation by the so-called 

* orthodox ' plan ; but it presents to our view a iiew and better 
conception of God, and a new and better conception of man as a 
child of God. It makes our destiny in the future life dependent 
upon our own character and attitude towards God and man while 
in this present life. While I am not able to explain the wonderful 
experiences of Prof. Madison while he was writing the book, yet, 
I have every reason to believe his statements to be absolutely true. 
' The Lost Book' is in perfect harmony with the essential teachings 
of Jesus Christ concerning the Fatherhood of God and the Brother- 
hood of man. For many centuries, these doctrines of Christ seem 
to have been to a great extent lost to the world ; hence, in my 
opinion, ' The True Theory of Christianity; or. The Lost Book' 
is a very appropriate title to the new revelation." 

New York, Nov. 16, 1903. ♦ 

Note. — For obvious reasons, which the reader will undoubtedly understand, 
the names of some who have kindly given their opinion of " The Lost Book " are 
withheld from publication ; but they will be given to anyone who doubts their 
genuineness. 



Testimonials and References. 



"A. W. Madison, A. M., has had charge of the Commercial 

Department of Whitestown Seminary for the past eight years, 

during which time the Department has been one of the most 

successful connected with any institution of the kind in the State." 

JAS. S. GARDNER, A. M., Ph. D., 

Principal Whitestown Seminary, 
January 21st, 1874. Whitestown, N. Y. 

*' Prof. A. W. Madison, A. M., has for the past two years, 
had entire charge of the Commercial College Department of this 
Institution, instructing classes in Book-keeping, both Theoretical 
and Practical, Penmanship, Telegraphy and Commercial Law, 
conducting the examinations for graduation, and with an ability, 
devotion and success, that have given the highest satisfaction to 
his Classes, the Institute and the Public. We have found him an 
upright and obliging Christian gentleman, always in his place, and 
we part with him with manv regrets." 

JOS. E. KING, D. D., President, 
June 22d, 1877. Collegiate Institute, Fort Edward, N. Y. 

** Prof. A. W. Madison has for the past year conducted the 
Commercial Department of the Binghamton Ladies' College, and 
in all its branches he has proved himself to be an able, industrious 
and successful Manager and Instructor." 

Rev. R. a. PATERSON, President, 
Binghamton, N. Y. , July 25, 1879. Binghamton Ladies' College. 

From the Oneida Dispatch .• ' * Interesting and instructive — all 
should hear him." 

From the Chenango Telegraph and Chronicle ^ Norwich^ N, V. : 
" Mr. Madison is a man of actions, as well as words." 

From the JVew York Freeman s Journal : * * Prof. Andrew 
W. Madison has been for thirty years engaged as an instructor 
in the private and public schools of New York and vicinity, and 
many of his scholars have risen to the highest eminence. Among 
them we may mention the Hon. Daniel S. Lamont, Secretary of 
War, who at the age of 17 was under the tuition of Mr. Madison, 
to whom much credit is due for having fitted this able diplomat 
for so brilliant a career." 

From O. S. Fowler, Boston, Mass,: "A man of correct 
principles, conscientious, systematic and clear-headed." 



Testimonials and References. 



53 



From Mr. D. T. A?nes, Editor, Penman's Art Journal, 202 
Broadway , Nezv York : ' ' We know him to be a very conscientious 
and faithful teacher." 

From the Brooklyn Daily Times : "A very pleasant enter- 
tainment was held on Thursday evening, under the auspices of the 
Young People's Association of the New England Congregational 
Church, on South Ninth Street. Prof. A. W. Madison rendered 
in a manner that won the hearty applause of the audience, * Aunt 
Jemima's Courtship,' ' Sheridan's Ride,' * The Bald-headed Man,' 
and other selections, mostly humorous. The entertainment was a 
success in every respect, and reflected credit on the Committee to 
which the arrangements had been entrusted." 

" I am glad to be permitted to heartily commend Mr. A. W. 
Madison, as a public reader of exceptional excellence. His 
rendering of an author's meaning is uniformly admirable ; wholly 
free from those blemishes of affectation, and a stilted style which 
sometimes mar the charm of readers of unquestioned merit." 

Rev. R. p. HIBBARD, Pastor, 
Brooklyn, N. Y., 1883. New England Congregational Church. 

177 South 9th St., Brooklyn, E. D., City. 
Dear Brother Madison : — 

You were elected, last night at a large meeting, unanimously, 
to the superintendency of the Sunday School. You are the man, 
and we shall back you up with hand and heart. 

This is a hard field. It will require courage, faith, perseverance 
and love ; but greater will be the reward by and by, and the dear 
Lord is willing to help, and with him we can do anything. 

We want to make the next year the red-letter year of New 
England Congregational Church. Let us look for great things, 
pray for great things, expect great things. 

I know it will mean sacrifice for you to come up here to services ; 
but it is sacrifice that pays big dividends in the kingdom of our 
Lord ; and what is our little sacrifice when we think of Bethlehem 
and Calvary ? 

Come up next Friday evening and take tea with me. 
With kind regards, 

WILLIAM H. THOMAS, Pastor, 
June 13, 1888. New England Congregational Church. 

"Prof. Andrew W. Madison has been a teacher in our 
school two years. He has been regular and faithful in his work, 
and we can recommend him." GIBBENS & BEACH. 

Principals of The Fifth Avenue School, 
June 6, 1890. 20 West 59th Street, New York. 



54 Testimonials and References. 

" I have read ' The Lost Book.' Among the teachings therein 
contained, with which I am well-pleased, are the following : The 
Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of man, and the power of 
character in determining destiny. These are great truths which 
should be known, accepted, lived. 

*' The author of this book, Prof. Andrew W. Madison, is 
a member of the United Congregational Church, and the teacher 
of our Adult Bible Class. Those who know Prof. Madison the 
best, believe in him the most. The character and reputation of 
this brother are consistent with what he believes and teaches." 
LUTHER R. DYOTT, Pastor, 

United Congregational Church, 
May 27, 1904. Brooklyn, New York City. 



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